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San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama suggested this week that some players have reached out to him and expressed interest in joining the Spurs.
When asked by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer if his play and potential have piqued the interest of other players across the NBA, Wembanyama said: “Yeah, I’ve received some messages. Even from prospects. But I try to sustain my role. It’s a whole new world that I’m eager to discover. For sure, one day or the other, I’ll have to be involved in this, I guess, even though I’m staying in my role as a player.”
The Spurs finished with the second-worst record in the Western Conference this season at 22-60, but Wembanyama was every bit as good as advertised after the Spurs took him with No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, which suggests a turnaround is coming soon.
Wemby was a dominant force who impacted games in myriad ways as a rookie, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 three-pointers made, 1.2 steals and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game.
The 7’4″ big man from France can stand to improve his efficiency after shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three-point range, while also turning the ball over 3.7 times per game, but that will likely come with experience.
Although Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is the favorite, Wembanyama is a strong NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate, which is a rarity since no rookie has ever won the award, and he would be the youngest player to ever win it at just 20 years of age.
The Spurs have some talent around Wembanyama, including Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Zach Collins and Tre Jones, but they are lacking a secondary and tertiary star.
In the current NBA, it is rare for teams without multiple All-Stars to vie for championships, which suggests that the Spurs will have to get aggressive on the trade front or in free agency at some point.
Luckily for them, they have a highly attractive situation to offer to prospective additions in the form of playing with Wembanyama.
The prospect of playing alongside Wembanyama is especially exciting for point guards who can link up with him in pick-and-roll situations, and for three-point shooting specialists who will likely get plenty of open shots with Wemby commanding so much defensive attention.
Rising to the level of playoff contender immediately won’t be easy in the stacked Western Conference, but Wembanyama’s length and versatility are attributes that few other teams can match up with.
If the Spurs are able to leverage Wembanyama’s excellence into the addition of an All-Star or two over the next couple of years, all signs point toward a Spurs basketball renaissance being on the horizon.
